モーターボート
もーたーぼーと
noun
motorboat
1.
motorboat (small powered boat)
A small boat propelled by an engine, used for recreation, fishing, or short transport. In Japan also strongly associated with the public sport of 競艇 (motorboat racing).
湖でモーターボートに乗った。
I rode a motorboat on the lake.
モーターボートが波を切って進む。
The motorboat cuts through the waves and moves forward.
父は若い頃、モーターボートを自分で操縦していた。
When he was young, my father used to pilot a motorboat himself.
遠くから聞こえてきたモーターボートのエンジン音が、次第に大きくなっていった。
The motorboat's engine sound that had been heard from far away gradually grew louder.
モーターボート is a loanword compound from English "motor" + "boat," referring to a small powered boat with an engine. In Japan, it has two strong associations: recreational boating, and the betting sport of motorboat racing (競艇).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- モーターボートに乗る: to ride a motorboat
- モーターボートを操縦する: to pilot a motorboat
- モーターボート競争 / モーターボートレース: motorboat racing
- モーターボートのエンジン音: the engine sound of a motorboat
SCOPE NOTES:
- Refers to a small powered boat — not a large ship (船) or yacht (ヨット, which in Japanese specifically means "sailing yacht").
- A jet ski is ジェットスキー or 水上バイク — a different category.
RELATED TERMS:
- ボート: boat (general)
- ヨット: sailing yacht
- 競艇: motorboat racing (Japanese public-interest betting sport)
- 船外機: outboard motor
CULTURAL NOTE:
競艇 (also called BOAT RACE in promotional materials) is one of Japan's four legal public-interest betting sports, alongside horse, cycle, and auto racing. Hearing モーターボート in a sports context often implies this racing rather than recreational boating.